Addiction, Trauma, Porn, Dopamine Detox | Anna Lembke
Anna Lembke explores dopamine detoxing, addiction, and the influence of narratives in managing trauma. SPONSORS:
- This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at and get on your way to being your best self.
TIMESTAMPS:
- 00:00:00 Introduction
- 00:02:40 Anna Lembke's experience with addiction
- 00:10:46 Dopamine-seeking behavior vs coping mechanism
- 00:12:35 The paradox of pain relief
- 00:24:21 The self-perpetuating cycle of addiction
- 00:24:00 Neuroadaptation
- 00:29:23 The power of abstinence
- 00:34:04 Life as an experiment
- 00:37:15 Dopamine reward and misconceptions of the "present moment"
- 00:41:06 Freud, Jung, and mindfulness
- 00:45:35 East vs West in mental health
- 00:51:15 Importance of self-talk and bedside manner
- 00:56:00 Attachment styles in trauma (and intergenerational trauma)
- 01:01:00 Power of stories and a Higher Power in addiction recovery
- 01:07:42 Radical honesty / truth-telling
- 01:12:02 The relevance of free will
- 01:23:26 Love as a catalyst for tough decisions
- 01:31:02 - A digital Sabbath (and Curt's coffee abnegation)
- 01:42:12 Methadone for severe opioid use disorder
- 01:51:00 The language of addiction, stigmatization, and identity
- 01:57:32 Rat Park experiments (society's role in addiction)
- 02:08:16 Writing as a therapeutic tool
- 02:14:12 The necessity of a Higher Power
THANK YOU: To Mike Duffey, of for your insight, help, and recommendations on this channel.
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LINKS MENTIONED:
- Discord (new community channel Dopamine Detox):